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Course Syllabus

Art History 200: Art and Society in Ancient and Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean/Fall 2019

Mon., Wed., 10-10:50

First weeks of semester: Francis Scott Key Bldg. room 0106 (temporary)

Later weeks of semester: Lecture Hall 2203, Parren J. Mitchell Bldg. (Art/Sociology or ASY)

 

TEACHING ASSISTANTS (Office: 4302 ASY)

Hannah Prescott:

Section101 Monday 9:00 ASY 3219

Section102 Monday 11:00 ASY 3219

Hours: Wed. 3-5

 

Vianna Newman:

Section103 Wednesday 9:00  ASY 3211

Section104 Wednesday 11:00 ASY 3207

Hours: Mon. 1-3

 

Charline Fournier-Petit:

Section105 Friday 10:00  ASY 3211

Section106 Friday 9:00  ASY 3219

Hours: Mon. 12-2

Contact your TA through ELMS/CANVAS from Monday through Fridays.  It may take up to 48 hours for the TA to get back to you.

 

CONTENT and LEARNING OUTCOMES: We will survey sculpture, architecture, painting, and other objects from the ancient Mediterranean world to the European Middle Ages.  

     At the end of the course you will be able to: demonstrate familiarity with styles, subject matters, and purposes of works of art of from these cultures and time periods; understand the political, social, and religious contexts in which works were created; understand interrelationships of the societies we have studied; undertake (orally and in writing) analyses of works; engage with some of the contemporary issues pertinent to ancient and medieval art and architecture. 

COURSE INFORMATION

 

TEXT: Art History, Pearson, 6th edition, 2017, vol. 1, M. Stokstad and M. Cothren

 

Some options:TEXTBOOK AND OPTIONS FOR

TEXTBOOK AND PURCHASING--see Module in Course website     

 

      

LECTURE

     Much of the content of this course will come from the two fifty-minute lectures each week.  The lectures do not merely repeat the text’s information but present additional points of view and useful visual material that will help you understand the works and concepts under discussion.  It is therefore necessary for you to attend lectures even though I cannot take attendance. I will post images to the Lecture Images Module on ELMS every week of the works, diagrams, or other relevant images presented in lecture.

 

SECTIONS

    The Teaching Assistants do not “reteach” the lecture material but, rather, help you develop your abilities in looking at, analyzing, and communicating about art and architecture.  Your regular attendance and participation in section is important to your success in this class. Attendance will be taken in section; your participation in its activities--discussions, short writings, reviews, etc.--counts for 20% of your total grade.

     The TAs can help you with understanding the course material, organizing your study materials, preparing for exams, and writing.  Let your TA know if you are experiencing ongoing problems that prevent your attendance at lectures and sections so that she may help you catch up with what you have missed (and please provide documentation).

     The Teaching Assistants are graduate students who are well-versed in many aspects of art historical inquiry.  They grade the assignments, exams, and papers in consultation with the professor. If you have questions about your performance or your grade please first see your TA, who will be familiar with your work. 

 

STUDY     

     You will need a variety of skills to complete the course successfully. Recognizing the images, knowing their titles and dates, and understanding relevant terms requires memorization.  More importantly, understanding the works of art themselves and the contexts in which they were made requires the ability to analyze and integrate material from the lectures, section, and the textbook.  Your TA can help you find efficient methods of studying.   

     Many students find it useful to create a set of study notes or flash cards that combine information from all the sources of course content.  You can use the weekly Lecture Images Module on ELMS to make flash cards by adding your notes.  Ultimately, this integrative process will allow you to see the course material as an interrelated whole, rather than as an assortment of unconnected facts and images.

 

EXAMS (not cumulative)

     Exams will focus on works from the textbook (and perhaps a few additional objects or monuments introduced in lecture or section). Exam format will consist of multiple choice or some other objective short answers and several short essays in which you identify and discuss unknown objects by comparison with ones you know.     One week before each exam I will post the images you need to know for that exam to the Exam Images Module on ELMS. 

 

EXAM STUDY MAY BE DONE IN SMALL GROUPS BUT DO NOT USE GROUP DOCUMENTS AND APPS AS A STUDY SOURCE.  I HAVE FOUND THAT USERS HAVE POSTED ERRONEOUS AND IRRELEVANT MATERIAL THAT WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR GRADE IF RELIED UPON.   AND I HAVE SEEN THIS ERRONEOUS MATERIAL SHOW UP ON A NUMBER OF EXAMS.

 

PAPER

     The course paper will require you to write about sculpture; complete details will be announced shortly after the semester has begun.  At that time the directions will be posted to the Paper Guidelines Module on ELMS.  This is not a research paper and does not require you to consult any references other than your lecture/section notes, your textbook, and information on the paper guidelines. THE PAPER IS NOT A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT SO DO NOT SHARE IDEAS IN PERSON OR ON GROUP DOCUMENTS.

 

GRADES

 

 

     It is not possible to give an Incomplete grade (I) to a student who has missed a substantial portion of the class for any reason.  The I is only appropriate for those who have maintained good attendance and good grades, have a pressing, documented, excused absence, and have only one major component of the course to complete (one exam or paper).  The assignment of an I is at the discretion of the professor.

 

     We do not post grades to ELMS so please make sure to note and calculate your own grades.  We cannot communicate about grades on ELMS or by email; please see us in person.

ELMS COURSE WEBSITE

   The ELMS website contains separate Modules for: the syllabus; paper guidelines; images from weekly lectures; images for exam study; additional objects or information as needed.  Your teaching assistant will also have a website for your section. We will use the Home Page and the Inbox to announce important class matters. Please use Inbox on ELMS to communicate with us. Ensure that you have provided the ELMS system with email or social media accounts that you regularly check so you will not miss announcements.

 

CALENDAR OF TOPICS AND DATES

     The Calendar outlines the dates on which we will likely cover specific topics. I will let you know if we slow down or move ahead more quickly relative to the Calendar.

 

AUGUST

M, W      26, 28  Intro; Egypt, chapter 3

 

SEPTEMBER

W           4 Egypt, chapter 3

M, W      9,11 Egypt, chapter 3

M, W      16, 18 Greece, chapter 5

M, W      23, 25 Greece, chapter 5

M           30 Greece, chapter 5

 

OCTOBER

W           2 EXAM 1
M, W      7, 9 Rome, chapter 6

M, W      14, 16 Rome, chapter 6

M, W      21, 23 Rome, chap. 6; Jewish, Early Christian/Byzantine, chap.
M, W      28, 30 Jewish, Early Christian/Byzantine, chapter 7

 

NOVEMBER

M, W      4, 6 Islamic Art, chapter 8; EXAM 2

M,W       11, 13 Islamic Art, chapter 8

M, W      18, 20 Early Medieval, chap. 14; PAPER DUE

M           25 Early Medieval, chap. 14; Romanesque, chapter 15

 

DECEMBER

M, W      2, 4 Romanesque, chapter 15; Gothic, chapter 16

M           9 Gothic, chapter 16

 

Tu          17 FINAL EXAM 8:00 am

 

COURSE POLICIES

 

ABSENCE

     University policy states that excused absences are: your own illness; emergency or death in your immediate family; religious obligation; required court appearances; official university activities; mandatory military obligation.  Please submit official documentation for your absence in a timely manner.  (According to official University policy “absences stemming from work duties other than military…and traffic/transit problems do not typically qualify for excused absences.”)

     

     University policy allows you to provide one self-signed medical note attesting to your illness and inability to attend section unless your absence is on the day of a scheduled assessment: quiz, section activity, paper, or exam.  After one self-attested absence, provide official written documentation for subsequent absences.  If you anticipate or experience an extended absence please present official written documentation verifying dates when you were unable to meet academic responsibilities. Please keep professor and TA informed, make arrangements to keep up with class work if possible, and meet with TA upon your return to class in order to discuss how to make up what you have missed.

     

MISSED EXAMS

     If you miss an exam, you must let us know as soon as possible of the legitimate reason (see above, Absence) for this absence and provide official written documentation in order to be eligible for a makeup exam.

     We will try to accommodate your schedule for the makeup. If multiple students require a makeup we will have to arbitrarily set a time. If scheduling conflicts make it impossible for you to attend the makeup exam session we will assign a take-home exam that covers the same material but may include portions in a different format (short essays, for example).

 

LATE PAPERS

     Papers are due in lecture on the due date unless you provide documentation of the legitimate reason (see above, Absence) that prevents this.  Late papers will have points 5 deducted from the earned grade for every weekday late unless you have notified your TA of the legitimate reason for its lateness.  Do not email papers in lieu of handing them directly to your TA.

 

ELECTRONIC ETIQUETTE

     The only acceptable use for laptops or tablets in lecture is for notetaking.  In section you should not use a laptop or tablet unless otherwise directed because section is a participatory experience. In lecture please sit in the last several rows of the hall if you are using a device for notetaking.  Please turn off phones and place them out of sight while in class. Your non-educational online activities can be very distracting to your fellow classmates and phone checking is visible to the professor and the TAs, who will have to ask you to cease your activities.

 

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

The full content of University Course Related Policies is available  at http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
    We fully endorse the University’s statement: “UMD maintains a commitment to the principles of truth and academic honesty. Accordingly, the Code of Academic Integrity is designed to ensure that the principle of academic honesty is upheld.  To promote academic honesty on campus you will be asked by your course instructors to write by hand and sign the following pledge on every examination, paper or other academic exercise:

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination [or: quiz/paper/assignment].

 

The meaningfulness of your degree depends upon [academic integrity].”

                                                

     The University defines as major types of academic dishonesty: cheating; fabrication; facilitating academic dishonesty; plagiarism.  These can apply to quizzes, exams, papers, section assignments, verbal and email communication, and absence documentation, among others.

     (The Art History and Archaeology Department regards class sharing apps and software as a possible source of academic dishonesty because of the potential that some students will substitute them for their own work.    In addition, students should not use ideas, information, and quotations and language found on them as part of their tests, papers and other assignments. The material on shared docs and apps can sometimes come from unverified or unreliable sources.)

     

ADS ACCOMMODATIONS

     Please present your current ADS documentation to your TA in the first weeks of class in order to arrange the appropriate form of accommodation.  You are responsible to file necessary forms with us and with ADS before each exam.

 

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE

     You may reschedule assignments, tests, and papers for religious observance.  Please notify us in writing at the beginning of the semester so that we may arrange an alternate date. 

 

DIVERSITY

     We are committed to providing a classroom atmosphere that encourages the equitable participation of all students regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

 

FINAL EXAM

     A student may request to reschedule final examinations so that he or she has no more than three (3) examinations on any given day. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the rescheduling in a timely manner, well before the pending final exam date.

 

EMERGENCY PROTOCOL/UNIVERSITY CLOSURE

     In the event of an extended closure the professor will determine how or whether to make up missed material, assignments, or exams.

 

COPYRIGHT
    Lectures and materials that the professor and TAs have created for this course are copyrighted and may not be reproduced for anything other than personal course use without our written permission.

 

Syllabus revised Sept. 28, 2019

 

EXPECTATIONS: TEACHING STAFF AND STUDENTS

 

What you can expect of us (professor and Teaching Assistants):

 

• We will make our best efforts to provide high-quality instruction, to be prompt, and to be prepared.

• We will evaluate your work fairly and without personal bias according to standards set out above in the syllabus (“Grades”).

• We will meet with you at your request to discuss the coursework or your performance and to provide assistance and advice on studying, writing, testing, etc.

• We will listen attentively and respectfully to your concerns, treat them fairly, and help find reasonable solutions whenever possible.

• We will communicate the course content, assignments, important dates, and class and university policies in the syllabus, and notify you in a timely manner of changes via  classroom announcements and the course ELMS website.

• We will preserve the value of the University of Maryland diploma by upholding standards of academic quality and integrity.   

What we expect of you:

 

• Your best effort to do quality work and to adhere to standards of integrity

• Your pursuit of appropriate means to complete tasks (for example: allowing adequate time to study and prepare assignments; writing outlines, drafts, and revisions of the paper; visiting the Writing Center; using spellcheck and grammar hotlines when needed; seeking help from instructor or TA, etc.) 

• Your  engagement, promptness, attention in the lecture hall and classroom, and respect for classmates and teaching staff

• Your timely communication with us about your  problems understanding course material, writing papers, or taking exams, as well as about situations  that prevent your attendance for short or extended periods of time

• Your awareness of  important dates and of class and university policies as they appear on the syllabus and course website, and your meeting of deadlines

• Your understanding: that we must grade you on the quality of the work you have done (not on work you might have done in different circumstances); that a final grade reflects an entire semester’s  performance in a variety of areas; that we cannot make significant exceptions or exemptions for individuals because those exceptions would be unfair to the efforts of other students in the class

 

*The Syllabus posted on ELMS is the most up-to-date document. Please refer to that first for any important due dates.